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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: board · cap · squash · ground · fan · rash · scale · branch

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. board — to get on
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. squash — to crush
  5. ground — a position
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. scale — size or range
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. ground — the earth
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. board — a committee
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cap — of ice
  17. squash — the sport
  18. scale — in music
  19. cap — a hat
  20. rash — a series
  21. cap — a lid
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. branch — a division
  24. rash — hasty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com